[[ PLEASE READ THIS A/N - Well, firstly. I'm really sad because the format of the text is not the same as it is in Word. It looks pretty in Word because each new paragraph is set further from the side ;; It's not that pretty here and I don't have time to make it manually ;; 
SECONDLY - Please, be aware that this is a Fiction. I write it the way I want so please, don't look for real facts in the story. Because I have no idea how are the wild animals treated or healed. I have no idea how they behave or how work in a ZOO is done. I write it the way I feel it so it's not real. I just wanted to make it clear ^^
ALSO, I'm using 'it' for animals as much as I use 'he,she' so excuse my mistakes ^^ Anyway, THANK YOU ALL for subscribing, commenting and up-voting! You guys are really amazing <3 I hope you will like this chapter ^^ I'm aware that it might be kind of boring, but aren't all 1st chapters kinda boring because they are describing things? :') ]]

It all started when Kibum found an injured deer in the woods he played in. He was 10 back then and clueless about what to do but his need to help saved the poor deer.

Kibum, even as a kid, was really smart.

He was on a trip with his family that day and he got a permission to play in the forest. His parents were sure that nothing could happen.

He was searching for some mushrooms when he heard some strange sound. He was a kid and he was fearless so he followed the sound.

Only to find a deer lying on the ground with its leg broken. Kibum didn’t waste any time and ran back to his parents to take a first aid kit. He knew that his parents wouldn’t care about the animal.

Once he got the thing he needed he ran back to the hurt animal. He had no idea what to do but he tried his best. He was crying the whole time because the deer seemed to be in pain. In the end, he was able to fix the broken leg, wrapping it securely in the bandage. It was a messy job but seeing that he was just a kid, it was even more than enough.

And the boy felt amazing. Helping the deer made him very happy.

Ever since then, his dream was to be a veterinarian. He wanted to take care of animals.

However, his parents were strict with picking the school. They wanted their son to be an accountant. So the boy had to go to a school like that. He didn’t give up on his dream, though. He studied animals on his own. It was hard. Very hard to study at school and then study more after school.

But Kibum had a dream and he was set on following that dream.

He was 16 when his teacher helped him find a part-time job in an animal clinic. He only helped with cleaning and feeding the animals, of course, but he was happy. Because the doctor explained and taught him a lot of things. He interacted with animals and learned how to handle things when they get out of control. He was even allowed to give a dog an injection with painkiller. The doctor trusted him that much.

“Hold this dream, Kibum. You have something special in you. Animals like you and you can win their trust. You’ll do great things in the future.”

The doctor told him when he had to close down the clinic. Sadly.

His another part-time job came when he was 17.

He visited the ZOO and fell in love with the place and animals in there. He was even content with cleaning. He just wanted to be there and get close to all the animals.

He got hired quickly and even though his parents weren’t happy with that he pulled out a card that he wanted his own money. And they couldn’t say no to that.

He started as a cleaner since he had no experience with wild animals. There were always people around him who were taking care of animals and he always asked them about everything. Some people were annoyed. Very annoyed by his questions but others happily explained things to him.

It was when someone sent him to give food to a bear that he got a first experience with a wild animal alone. He wanted to wait for his usual guide but the person said he should feed him right in that moment so he couldn’t wait. When he thought about it now, he realized that maybe that person wanted to put him in a danger.

His steps were careful because from what he heard you can’t approach the wild animal suddenly. He came to the cage fence and looked at the bear. The animal was lying on the ground, rolling around and the sight made Kibum smile. It was adorable. “Hey, buddy.” He asked for the bear’s attention. He knew even back then that the animals there were fed in a different way. They weren’t pets you could feed from the hands. But Kibum found it so sad that the food was thrown at them. He has seen the sad look in animals’ eyes and it hurt him.

So despite warnings he got when he started working there, he went closer to the fence and held out the fish in his hand. Kibum was always talking to all animals when he got a chance and he was very fond of this bear. And he talked to him in that moment, too.

It was a sight to see, really. The bear was hesitant at first and behaved as if a danger is ahead of him but Kibum talked to him softly and the animal soon stepped closer. No one in their right mind would do this but Kibum was as reckless as he was special.

Fortunately, the bear only took his food and not Kibum’s hand with him. The boy fed him like that and he was delighted to see that the bear’s ‘expression’ wasn’t as sad as it always was.

Kibum was scolded later on. Some his co-workers saw him and immediately yelled at him. He was not qualified to feed bear alone and he should NOT feed him from his hand. He tried to explain the reason he was doing it but no one was listening. They even mentioned firing him but he begged them not to do it. He will never do something like that again. Fortunately, he was very liked among people there so they let him stay.

Ever since then he never went to feel animals on his own.

He has never liked how the animals were treated there. He realized it only after he started working there and saw how they were mistreated after the people weren’t allowed to watch. The animals were sad and so was Kibum. He wanted to help but didn’t know what he could do.

Until later when he found out that his dad’s colleague wanted to invest to something. Kibum gathered all his knowledge, courage and charm and went to talk to the man. It was terrifying and a long talk but in the end, the man decided that Kibum was right. Investing to the ZOO was an excellent idea.

And so the man talked to the owner of the ZOO. Kibum didn’t know what exactly happened since it was not his business anymore but things have changed. The ZOO became bigger and soon, the staffs were replaced with more qualified people who took better care of animals. The boy was afraid that they would fire him, too but fortunately, the investor wanted the boy to stay there.

Everything changed to better and Kibum got the chance to do what he liked. The new workers were much better at their job. They fed the animals the way it wasn’t too dangerous but it wasn’t degrading either. They even bathed some of them. And most importantly, they taught Kibum all they knew.

Kibum got a nickname Key after 2 years of working there. Because no matter which animal he approached, the animal calmed down. Like it trusted Kibum fully. Like Kibum had some kind of key which locked the wild side of animals.

The boy liked it. He was happy that the animals acknowledged and respected him. He also liked that people around him seemed to like him, too. He was welcomed there.

The boy graduated from high school with honors. His grades were amazing and everyone was proud of him.

However, he got in a fight with his parents after graduation. He didn’t want to pursue career in a bank. He wanted to work in a ZOO. He wanted to get a certificate for healing animals and wanted to do what he loved the most. His parents didn’t agree. They told him that nothing good awaits him there. It was also dangerous and he would die there once because he trusted those ‘stupid animals’.

But Kibum didn’t want to give up his dream. Not even when his parents told him to move out and live on his own. The boy didn’t have a problem with that. He packed his things and moved into a small apartment which was offered to him by his boss for reduced pay. The apartment was situated right in the ZOO.

At the age of 21, Kibum became one of the official, full-time employees in the ZOO after he got a certificate which allowed him to take care of animals.

He was very happy because the place really felt like home and his close co-workers were great friends. He was also delighted to work with such beautiful animals. He dedicated most of his time to his work and although some people there made fun of him, he didn’t care. The salary was quite high and he even had an apartment which he didn’t have to pay for when he became an official employee. Everything was going exactly the way he wanted. He was living his dream.

And now, at the age of 25, he was still there. Still at the same apartment, with higher salary and even more animals to love.

“I don’t know, really. Do you think I should go out with her again?” Kibum spoke softly while he fed his favorite lynx.

Kibum has been in the ZOO when they brought this lynx in. He was small, only a baby. The boy took care of him ever since then and he became his greatest friend. He always talked to the wild cat as if he was a human and always cuddled with him. His coworkers said he’s crazy because that ‘cat’ was still dangerous but Kibum trusted him. He saw him grow up, after all. They had a bond. As crazy as it sounded, Key believed it.

The animal made a sound which reminded the boy of snort. And it made Kibum laugh. “What? You don’t think so, right? Of course, you would lose your time with me, huh?” he grinned and petted the lynx when he laid on his side. “But people are right, you know? I should start to live a life out of the ZOO as well.”

The carnivore shook his head and let out a meow. “Oh, stop it. I think I should try it. I haven’t gotten laid in a while!” he said dramatically and laughed when the wild cat rubbed his eyes with paws.

Then he stood up and tackled Kibum down with all his weight. The boy huffed but chuckled and hugged the animal which was now sprawled on top of him. “You know what I mean! I’m not sure how you don’t need it but my body needs a relief.”

Kibum loved teasing the cat like this. It was funny how the animal made different sounds and gestures whenever he talked about intimate things. It seemed like the wild cat understood him but was either shy or not really interested in Kibum’s love life. Well, the boy didn’t mind it. He had no close friend whom he would talk to about things like that. Some people would call him a loner but whenever people visited the ZOO he talked to them, putting on his charming smile and talkative personality. That’s why visitors loved his company.

“Key. Please! Come out, you’re making us nervous. The lynx is lying on you. It can attack you anytime and you won’t be able to do anything about it.” one of his co-workers walked toward the cage with uneasy expression.

Kibum rolled his eyes and sighed, patting the lynx’s back. “They are ridiculous, aren’t they? You? Attack me?” the boy mumbled and the lynx hissed toward the man staying at the cage’s door.

He was obviously angry that the human interrupted his time with Kibum. And honestly, the boy felt kind of same.

“He won’t attack me, Jay. He’s very nice and he’s my friend. If you would try to treat him better, he would like you, too.” Kibum said before he sighed again and stood up, ignoring the cat’s whines.

“It doesn’t have to like me. It’s a dangerous animal.” the man said, earning another hiss from the carnivore. “Now, come out. I heard some news and you should know about it, too.”

Kibum frowned when he saw that his colleague’s expression turned even more uneasy. What was the news that made him feel like that? Did something happen?

The boy was suddenly worried and he didn’t hesitate to leave this time. He knew that if something happened he should be there instead of here. He could spend time with his friend later. He walked out of the cage, locking it before he turned to the man.

“So? What is it? Did something happen?”

Jay shuffled from foot to foot and looked around, as if not really wanting to meet Kibum’s eyes. “Uh, you see.. It’s not really like something happened. It’s just..”

“Cut the crap, Jay.” Kibum was starting to get annoyed.

GROOOOOWLLLLLLLL

“! Hold him tighter, will you!”

Kibum got startled by the shouting but even more by the loud growling. It was like no growl he has heard in this place before. He had no idea what animal it was but he could tell for sure that it was very angry. And the shouting only continued, earning more growls like the first one.

“That’s.. that’s it. They brought another animal. Some hunters have been illegally selling it but it’s really wild and the guys made a mistake while taking it here..” Jay started rambling but Kibum wasn’t listening anymore.

He cursed and started running toward the place where the growls and shouting were coming from. He was furious. They should not be taking in any animals without him. He was required to be there to check on the animal